What If?
by Ringo-01
Summary: Original story was that Reborn went to the future first. But what if Irie accidentally threw the 10-year Bazooka at Tsuna first? Oh, and how could anyone's hair be so... Green? And is that actually MAKE-UP?  Rating may increase due to language
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Reborn, nor G2000. **

**What If…?**

Chapter 1: Earlier Than Planned

_Oh no. This can't be! What to do… What to do?_

A teenage boy was furiously pacing around the sidewalk, unintelligibly muttering nervously to himself, while he kept on adjusting the thick frame resting on the bridge of his nose.

_Well, it's not like he wasn't going there soon as well… There's no harm in having him going earlier… Right?_

His internal debate continued as he tried to convince himself of his safety. Shuddering at the thought of what will happen to him should the person who ordered the task find out about his mistake, the hands clutching his mouse-brown hair immediately moved to his stomach as if in great pain and utter discomfort, profusely breaking in a cold sweat and slowly crumpling to the floor.

_ Ugh… My stomach hurts…_

**Almost 10 years later…**

As the pink smoke emitted by the 10-year Bazooka cleared, a panicked voice in the dark could be heard.

"…Huh? It's so dark! Where am I…?"

He bumped his head hard and elbows hard when he jolted in surprise at the darkness. It was after all still daylight before he got hit by the 10-year Bazooka, and from what Reborn had told him, the exchange with their future selves would be immediate, thus it would be impossible for him to have switched with his future self during the morning and end up at night time at the future dimension.

_Unless he was overseas or something… In this case, it seems more likely to be the 'something'._ He mused.

"Itai…"

He groaned in pain as he clutched his head as best as he could, given the tight space he was in.

"I must have been sleeping then, if it were this dark… But why is it so cramped?"

Rubbing his elbows to relieve the traces of pain, he was greatly bewildered as to what his 10-year later self would be doing lying in such a cramped and dark place. As he reached out his hands to figure out his current situation, he realized that he was boxed in the tight space.

_Something doesn't feel right here…_

Slowly, his eyes began adjusting to the dark, and he sighted a tiny gap on the wall closing him in the box. Bracing himself with what little space he had, he began to push at the top 'wall'. He was starting to have his suspicions as to where he was currently in, given the smell of the wood, the flowers and the cushion he was lying on- unlike popular belief, he was actually not as dumb as everyone thought, he was just plain lazy to exert any effort. But that had begun to change with the arrival of Reborn- the story which is to be told at another time.

_Or more like… just read the manga or watch the anime if you still don't know about it… It's too long for me to elaborate on_. He thought exasperatedly.

But back on the issue at hand, he preferred to think of it as a 'wall'. Call it being in denial stage or whatnot, but he preferred to think positively about his future, and thinking about what it most likely really is would not bode well for his sanity at present.

So, bracing himself, he pushed on the 'wall' with all his might. Surprisingly, it was indeed heavy, but was easy enough to slide open. Blinking as he sat up, his eyes once again readjusting to the sudden presence of light, he began to survey his immediate surroundings.

It seems as though he was in a small forest clearing. More specifically, the forest area was cleared for his 'box'. The worst of his fears was confirmed. The silk covering of the cushion a color of deep violet, white lilies surrounding the edges and a bunch on his lap, the polished black wood gleaming as the sunlight reflected on it, the symbol of the Vongola Crest and the 'X' to show the Vongola Decimo rank were elegantly embossed in gold and silver respectively, and magnificently stood out on the pure black background of the cover. The workmanship was intricate, the curves expertly carved, transition between the black and gold clearly evident yet smooth.

It was beautiful. If only it was not a coffin.

* * *

He realized that he might have just died only recently as the lilies were still fresh.

_Very recently in fact… Given that these flowers are barely wilted, I'd say about 2 days, 3 at most._

He thought bitterly. _What had happened? _

The thought of having been there a few days earlier chilled him to the bone. He was kind of relieved at still being alive though. Call it selfish if you must, well he is still himself even though it was in 10 years later. Granted, his future self was now dead, but he was glad- that as his present self- he will still be able to live for at least a few more years, until this death, and not died prematurely should he have been the one shot in the place of his ten-year later self. But in the end, he was still dead.

His looping thought of _'being alive and yet inevitably dying in ten years' time'_ was interrupted as he heard the rustling of leaves in the bushes behind him.

Turning his head to face whatever was making the noise, he was surprised to come face-to-face with another man.

* * *

From his earlier observation of his surroundings, he concluded that the place was far from any form of civilization, of human life, yet here he was, staring exactly at just that. Or what looked to be like one.

His skin was fair, almost pale in the sunlight. Teal eyes sharp and clear, showing an unidentifiable glint to it. His long hair was teal also, reaching low down his waist even though it was tied up in a high-ponytail, thick and wavy at the end.

_Unique hair… Maybe Gokudera-kun was right, and that aliens have invaded the Earth… Either that or the people having unusual hair color, like Bianchi (Gokudera-kun still counted as normal) was increasing… _

_…Ah! And what exactly is that gold thing on his ears… Earrings? Pfft! More like ear covers! It's so big, only the top of his ears are showing! Can he even hear people with that? Oooh, not to forget his green eye-shadow! Wearing that outside is strange enough for a guy… But green?_ He mused to himself as he continued staring at the man in front of him, trying not to gawk too much and end up laughing at the unusual getup.

_Maybe a cosplayer? Yeah right… Cosplay in the woods... He IS green enough to fit in… _He deadpanned to himself, sighing at the internal joke.

_Well, at least he dresses normally enough… Somehow looks like a high-class host… With make-up. Green make-up. And gold ear covers… Okay, I gotta stop. The guy just wants to make a fashion statement… Not that it's a disaster or what… In fact, he looks kinda cool in that getup... Minus the green and gold of course. _

True enough, the man wore normal clothing as opposed to his unique facial ensemble. A black textured silk tie with gold tie pin on a crisp purple shirt buttoned up to the collar, tucked in his pristine white slacks, riding low on his hips, seemingly held safely in place by a black leather belt, a matching white coat and an inch-high heeled, clean, black, shiny dress-shoes to finish. His attire emphasized his slim figure and height. He was tall, but not exceedingly so, about the same height as Xanxus, if not slightly taller.

_He looks like he's modeling for G2000…_

Overall, normal-enough-looking attire.

As he was brought back to his present state, he noticed the other person seem to blink at him confusedly, looking him up and down and sights scouring the area for presence of any other. He turned his head around as well, a reflex action, looking for nothing in particular. As his eyes returned to stare at the man, he realized that he was being eyed rather suspiciously.

Belatedly, he realized that he was still in his, or rather his future self's, coffin.

"Ah! Wait! Let me explain!" _ Well that's just stupid… I don't even know why I'm here…_ He thought offhandedly as he began to stir from his position. Debating whether he should move or not, considering that in a few more minutes his future self- who is very much dead, if where he was in was enough of an indication- would switch back with him.

_Oh, the hell with it! I'll just go back in here before the time's up. It's not exactly reassuring to see a boy in a coffin and for me to know that I am lying in mine ten years from now… Ugh…_

In his haste to stand up to explain himself, he tripped on the silk of the cushion and the lilies. Bracing himself for a painful fall, he was surprised to land on a comparably softer surface than the ground. It was still hard, but less painful than he would have experienced.

"Ooof!"

His breath was knocked out of him as he was caught by the stranger, saving him from his imminent and painful fall, the scent of Chinese Bellflowers immediately invading his senses.

* * *

Opening his eyes to face the man who caught him, he was startled out of his reverie by the deep, smooth, modulated voice, causing him to feel flustered more than he already was.

"Are you all right?"


	2. Chapter 2

Message to readers: Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and fave adds! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Reborn!

Warnings: OOCness and a few dialogue repetitions in this chappy!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Jikoshoukai***

_Opening his eyes to face the man who caught him, he was startled out of his reverie by the deep, smooth, modulated voice, causing him to feel flustered more than he already was._

"_Are you all right?" _

"Y-ye-yes! Yes, I'm alright! Thank you very much! A-and sorry for troubling you!"

He stuttered out and bowed quickly in apology once he realized he had just been caught by the man whom he was openly gaping at a few moments ago.

_Uwah… Way to go for a first impression. If Reborn were here, he'd be sure to make fun of me for this! Well, the least I can do now is be polite… *sigh*_

As he continued with his internal argument and condemnation, the man spoke once again, bringing him back down to Earth and making him realize he was still in the man's arms. Ashamedly, he broke away, blushing furiously from head to toe in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that… Could you please repeat that again?"

He couldn't turn redder than a tomato.

_Great. I'm totally making an ass out of myself. I should probably grateful Reborn's not here to see me like this. Ah~ This is really dame, dame-Tsuna! Argh! Can't believe I'm calling myself that… Gah!_

Sighing internally at the boy's inattention, the man- yet remaining un-introduced, repeated his question, eyeing the boy in his grasp carefully and feeling a mixture of slight peeve and mortification. He was aware of how he looked like, being all… Green… Plus, the eye-shadow…

_But I had no choice in that! Wearing it should be considered a privilege! Unless… Unless Byakuran-sama actually… No, no! That's simply impossible! Right…?_

…

_Also, green is nice… No, more than nice! It's refreshing! Alive! Vibrant! I look absolutely stunning being green!_

_... _

_Okay that didn't sound right… _

Quickly cutting off his train of thought, which he knew was ridiculously getting… Well… Ridiculous by the minute…

His eye twitched in annoyance.

"I said, what is a boy like you doing in this remote area, sitting comfortably in a coffin which is obviously not his and the corpse nowhere to be found?" _At least not his yet... If my hunch is correct._

The boy stuttered helplessly.

"We-well… You see, the things is… That… This is, well… Erm… I can explain!"

"We have already established that. Now, quit delaying and tell me what you're doing here and why."

He saw the boy pale at the change of his tone, and smirked wickedly inside.

_O-Ho~ It's so fun bullying brats._

He was having fun. Truly.

* * *

_Gah! What the hell am I supposed to say? That I come from the past? He's already annoyed with me as it is… Ah well! It'll all work out somehow I hope… But first things first, introduction, introduction!_

Bowing profusely as he introduced himself, he could not do anything else but give a forced laugh while scratching the back of his head showing his uncertainty of the situation.

"Oh. Ah. Yes. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi by the way... Eh, I guess… Nice to meet you… Uhm…?"

Making out the last of his sentence to sound like a question instead of a real greeting, he actually had to control himself before he uttered the newfound nickname for the man. _Midori-san*._

_Ugh… Can't get more original than THAT… It's not exactly nice to meet someone when you're in your own coffin…_

"Kikyo. You can call me Kikyo, Sawada-san."

* * *

The man who has just introduced himself as 'Kikyo' drawled on, a lazy smile slowly gracing his features.

"Ha-hai. Kikyo-san…"

_Somehow looks threatening… What the hell's up with that smile? Talk about creepy… I didn't just put myself in trouble did I…? Nah, can't be, or else my hyper-intuition should have picked up something…_

Tsuna thought with a shudder.

"Good. Now that we have those done, would you care to tell me why you are in this place, and particularly in there?" Kikyo looked pointedly at the coffin, emphasizing his point.

"Well, you might not believe me Kikyo-san… but this is kinda hard to explain, since I have no clue as to why I'm here as well… Ahaha… Haha… Hah… Ah…" He finished off lamely, scratching the back of his head and looking thoroughly embarrassed.

The man raised an eyebrow at that but he mercifully pushed no further on his inquiry, shrugging at the boy, implying the dismissal of the matter and beginning to move around to inspect the area.

Tsuna gave a relieved sigh, until he remembered something.

"Oh! Then, if you don't mind me asking, what are YOU doing in this place? The area doesn't seem to be near any other form of civilization… Did you get lost?"

Pause.

"O-ho! I DO mind, in fact and NO, I did NOT get lost. But if you must know, I am here to scout for… Ah…" Kikyo trailed on, sounding seemingly unsure of what to say next or hesitant to reveal his real purpose to the boy.

The emphasis Kikyo placed on not having gotten lost did not escape Tsuna though, and he was trying his hardest not to laugh at what he thought was the tone of denial and persistence of the man regarding the matter of getting lost.

He was thinking of pushing further but thought better of it when he saw the glint in the man's eyes.

_Woah… Seems like he got mad…_

"Maa~ you don't really need to tell me why if you don't want…" He hurriedly tried to pacify the other, in consideration of the other's kindness in not pushing him for a reason for his unlikely presence in the place.

The man hesitated for a few seconds, eyeing him cautiously before speaking again.

"Well, to tell you the truth… I'm actually here to scout for an ideal setting… For… That is… Uh…" Kikyo trailed on hesitantly.

"No, it's really okay! You didn't push me for an explanation, so I won't do so as well. Please don't be bothered by it!" Tsuna smiled at him, his expression a look of understanding.

"COSPLAY!" Kikyo shouted out loud.

"Eh?" Tsuna's eyes rounded at that.

"I'm scouting for a photo-shoot venue for cosplay!" He declared, appearing to have shocked not only Tsuna, but himself as well, before face-palming in front of the boy.

Then there was total silence.

"A-ah… I see… Sounds… Cool…" Recovering from the shock of discovery and being caught unawares, Tsuna was somehow unsure how to respond so as to not offend the older man.

* * *

He stared on as the boy introduced himself, finally confirming his earlier thoughts.

"Oh. Ah. Yes. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi by the way... Eh, I guess… Nice to meet you… Uhm…?" The boy trailed off, hinting on the inquiry for his name.

_So it really IS the Vongola boss, albeit younger than this generation's… I guess there's no harm in giving him my name, it won't easily link me back to Millefiore anyway._

After a short contemplation, he finally revealed his name to the young Vongola boss.

"Kikyo. You can call me Kikyo, Sawada-san."

He could not conceal his delight at the great opportunity which had presented itself. Eyeing the boy closely, he observed that the young boss was wearing the Vongola sky ring. It was still intact.

_Byakuran-sama will be pleased._

Coughing to get the attention of the boy once more, as well as to set his excitement of the new discovery aside, he continued on his interrogation, trying to see if he could get more information out of the boy.

"Good. Now that we have those done, would you care to tell me why you are in this place, and particularly in there?"

At that, the previous flustered state of the young boss returned. He can understand the hesitation of the boy in explaining how he got there, after all, even he himself knew he would have a hard time explaining how- if he were in Tsuna's situation- he ended up in the coffin of his 10-year later self.

Deciding to be merciful- _for now_-, he shrugged his shoulders as sign of dismissal of the matter and began scouting the area for presence of any other Vongola allies.

_Or guardians and their rings_. He smirked to himself.

Feeling exuberant still about his find, he was abruptly pulled back down from his high when the young Vongola took the opportunity to ask him the same question he has been asking the boy.

"…if you don't mind me asking, what are YOU doing in this place? The area doesn't seem to be near any other form of civilization… Did you get lost?"

_Oh shit. Ah, wait! Did he just say I GOT LOST? This Kikyo DOES NOT get LOST._

"O-ho! I DO mind, in fact and NO, I did NOT get lost. But if you must know, I am here to scout for… Ah…" Slightly losing his cool, Kikyo began to rant on until he got stuck thinking of an excuse for being there.

_It would be suspicious if I did not give him a reason as to why I am here… Wait! He himself did not answer my question on that, so why should I? Ah… But then again, HIS is much more complicated than my own reasoning. Although I cannot really reveal that my purpose of being here was upon Byakuran-sama's orders to check on the corpse of the Decimo… Granted, this Decimo is not a corpse… So I guess there will be a different report to give…_

Continuing on his internal conflict, he did not notice the look of murderous intent seeping through his eyes, until Tsuna broke his train of thought.

"Maa~ you don't really need to tell me why if you don't want…"

Hearing the pacifying and guilty tone in the boy's voice, he decided to just throw whatever excuse first came to his mind as to what his purpose of being there was.

"Well, to tell you the truth… I'm actually here to scout for an ideal setting… For… That is… Uh…" He trailed on, abruptly stopping.

_Damn. I know I thought of saying out the first reason that came to mind… But THAT? I shouldn't have talked with Zakuro and Bluebell this morning… It messes up my thinking system. Ah. Shit. Now I can't think of anything else but that! Argh…_

"No, it's really okay! You didn't push me for an explanation, so I won't do so as well. Please don't be bothered by it!" He watched Tsuna smile at him, a look of understanding on his face.

_O-ho! Of course he would understand! But, no... I can't not give a reason… His suspicions might begin to arise, it is after all part of his inheritance of the 'Vongola blood'. Damn. Well, thank goodness the rest aren't here for this. Here I go… One. Two. Three!_

"COSPLAY!" He shouted out loud. So loud, in fact, that it echoed at the forest area for several seconds before it finally died down.

"Eh?" He could see Tsuna's eyes bulging out, and began groaning internally.

_Urgh… There goes my self-respect. Ah well, if this can make him trust me, then by all means! Oh Byakuran-sama,the things I do for you!_

"I'm scouting for a photo-shoot venue for cosplay!" He was still in shock, declaring this, and he could see the young Vongola was as well.

Total silence enveloped the pair as he continued on his internal melodrama of his faithfulness to 'Byakuran-sama'.

"A-ah… I see… Sounds… Cool…" Witnessing the uncertainty in the young man's response, he began to regret his decision.

_Somehow, this cosplay reasoning to get his trust still doesn't seem worth it…_

_

* * *

_

_*Footnotes:_

_Jikoshoukai: self-introductions_

_Midori-san: Mr. Green_


	3. Chapter 3

Message to readers: Thanks for all the review, alerts and fave adds! \(^w^)/

Sorry, this took so long to be published! My HD crashed, and all my compos were lost(permanently), along with my motivation(not permanent, thankfully). My internship will be ending in a week's time, so I'm considerably more free right now. Hopefully I can proceed to write more diligently with the long vacation I have until my graduation (Yeah! Finally! Nyahahaha~). Well, hope you guys enjoy this~ Read on! ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Reborn!

Warnings: OOCness and slight time skip(just slight)… and no real rabbit were harmed in the making of this fic. (I haven't even tried eating one myself… and I'd really rather not)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Migiude wo Kuru!**

'LISTEN TO THE STEREO! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT!'~

The sudden blast of noise-or rather, music- from a yet unknown source had the two figures jolting from their warm and comfortable cuddling position. Slowly standing up, the two occupants of the portable-cushion started stretching their sore muscles, groaning in the relief it brought, although all other sounds they might have made were drowned out by the yet-to-be-located source of music, whose volume was steadily increasing by the minute, showing no signs of ceasing.

'…sabichatteru furui kairo ni…'~

Glaring at his rumpled jacket, regretting having used it as a makeshift pillow, Kikyo dug out his cellphone from the inner pocket and looked at the glowing display screen heatedly, swearing that whoever was responsible for waking him up was going to suffer a slow, excruciating death.

'_Ha-han! Yeah, so I am not really a morning person, but it's the caller's fault for calling so early in the morning! Goodness, it's only 11 am!'_

Continuing grumbling to himself, he felt like he was seeing red when he saw the caller ID on the screen.

**-ZAKURO-** the screen indicated. He was literally seeing red*.

Flipping the phone open, he almost brought it close to his ear before deciding otherwise, holding it away instead, as far as it could go in arm's length. Barely a second after doing so, an extremely loud, rough voice shouted a greeting of "! ARE YA AWAKE YET? WAKE UP MY BELOVED SLEEPYHEADED IDJIT!", followed soon after by an even louder raucous laughter. Had they yet to have been fully awakened by the ringtone, that greeting certainly did the trick.

Taking a moment to stare at the device in disdain, as though doing so was enough to cause injury to the person in the other line, he proceeded to ignore the call and was just about to hang up when there was a follow-up response shouted once again.

'_No, it's not a shout, that's just his voice. Haaahhhh… It's not even set to loudspeaker mode.'_

"DON'T HANG UP YET! THERE'S AN UPDATE TO YOUR ORDER FROM THE ORCHID!"

Shaking his head in an attempt to alleviate his peeve, he admonished 'Zakuro' for being so loud and proceeded to explain his current situation and told the other to keep quiet. The proceeding silent conversation made it seem like Kikyo was not talking to anyone, if not for the occasional grunts of acknowledgement from the green-haired man and the bursts of "IDJIT!" shouted from the other line.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Kikyo was preoccupied in his conversation, Tsuna made his way over to the makeshift bonfire they had created the previous night- it was quite nice actually, they had dug up a small area, removing any possibly flammable things such as the grass, or weeds… They were not really sure which ones are truly combustible, so they just dug everything up before setting the soil back to make a nice, even, round, bare land, with a one meter circumference, and bordering its edges with the big stone he found around the area.

Stretching his muscles to get his blood pumping, he surveyed the area, checking to see if anything was out of place before proceeding to dump the unused wood and twigs they had gathered the night before onto the bare land. Taking a strong-looking twig, he began rolling it in his palm- one end touching one of the bigger logs they had picked up the night before, making a show of using friction to start a fire. Taking another cautious glance behind him, only to see Kikyo still in deep conversation with whoever called him, Tsuna began activating his ring's flames and used it to start a small fire, soon after kicking the big log closer to the wooden pile to let the flame spread.

That done, he proceeded on taking out the leftover, raw, rabbit meat Kikyo had caught the night before. He had been stoking the small flame the night before, when Kikyo suddenly emerged from the seemingly endless shadows surrounding the forest, carrying back two brown rabbits, and proceeding to skin and gut it in front of him- which ultimately made him almost thrown up his non-existent lunch, much to the green-haired host's amusement.

He had decided that Kikyo was indeed a host after further interacting with the man. Despite the frequent "ha-han"s the guy did- much like Mukuro's "kufufu", everything he did was carried out in grace and endless poise. And despite Tsuna being a male himself, he could honestly say that Kikyo was handsome to boot. Even his green-ness became endearing after a while, and made it seem more Kikyo-ish, like, it seems Kikyo would not truly be Kikyo without all the obnoxious green on his person and the gold ear cuffs. Capish?

Oh, did he mention that those gold cuffs were actually quite light? *insert blush here*

'_No way am I going to think about THAT again! Nuh-uh. Definitely not!'_ Vigorously shaking his head, Tsuna proceeded to 'fish' the meat out of the makeshift leaves basket which Kikyo had weaved the night before, filled with the cold spring water, which they had found a few meters into the thick forest while gathering firewood. Thank goodness there was water around, he'd hate to think that they would have had to cook the meat without cleaning up all those blood and guts off first.

Clasping his hands together as if in prayer, well, as close together as possible, he was holding the rabbit meat afterall, Tsuna hurriedly apologized to the two dead rabbits, in case his rambling thoughts were an insult to the two animals' 'sacrifice', and profusely thanked them for the delightful dinner that he and Kikyo had the night before.

'_Another interesting aspect about Kikyo… He's like an… Otomen*.'_ Blushing at realizing where his thoughts were headed again, he gave another, more vigorous shake of his head, almost toppling over in surprise when the subject of his thoughts placed a hand on his shoulder, an eyebrow raised in inquiry at his flustered expression, and his almost-praying position. Shaking his head gently to indicate nothing was the matter, he gave a smile in response, a silent apology for worrying the older man with his antics.

Letting go of the matter, Kikyo silently took out his Swiss knife and the rabbit from Tsuna's hands, and began cutting the meat into smaller pieces, to be skewered on to the stronger twigs they had found and set aside for their barbecue meal the night before. Losing 'custody' of the rabbit, Tsuna proceeded on to stoke the flames once again, cautiously arranging the burning wood such that the fire would remain strong, but not overly so that the meat would get burnt. Extending his hands out a bit closer to the flames to warm them up, he couldn't help but wonder how the spring water the meat was soaked in remained almost freezing cold despite the absence of any form of refrigeration or cooling agent.

'_And last night wasn't really cold, it was just right… Plus having Kikyo as my pillow and having no Reborn or Lambo to attack me awake…'_ Suddenly pausing in his thoughts, the cold fear of not having any of his familiar friends with him gripped him once more. Yes, he had decided that Kikyo was a friend, but that didn't mean that having another, more familiar, _'and preferably of the same timeline'_ friend would give him great relief. Still, he was thankful for the presence of Kikyo nevertheless. When he had started panicking and fretting quietly to himself the night before about the thought of really being unable to get back to his own time, the older man began questioning him about random things, effectively taking his mind off the matter- to which he was very grateful for. Now, after having had a good sleep, he had started analyzing his situation more calmly, and figured that whatever happened, happened for a reason, and thought he had yet to find out what it was, he would patiently wait it out.

And wait in the woods he would do. Not that he did not trust Kikyo- the guy had offered to bring him back to the other's 'mansion' the night before, but he had declined it, he just had this inkling that if he stayed in the woods, near the coffin long enough, he would get some answers to this curious situation. The Vongola Blood acting out perhaps?

He was just surprised when Kikyo had offered to stay with him through the night, saying that "This forest is no place for a boy like you, especially in the night, where many creatures are out to hunt.", which confused him to no end, considering that the only animals he had ever encountered served as both their dinner, and now their breakfast, while the others just flew harmlessly above them. He was thankful for the company nevertheless, and he let his feelings and thoughts known to the other.

Regrettably, Tsuna knew that their companionship would be short-lived. He couldn't exactly ask Kikyo to stay with him until whatever he's waiting for pops up, the man had been kind enough to stay with him the whole night, and he didn't want to take advantage of the older man's kindness. Despite having gotten to know each other for just a short period, they had surprisingly formed an unnamable bond during their self-imposed incarceration together, and Tsuna was sure that if ever they met again, they would still get along fine, maybe even better.

Smiling to himself and finding the thought of being even closer and friendlier to the older man appealing, he was brought out of his thoughts by the aroma of the roasting rabbit meat. The forest was surprisingly not only abundant in providing them meat to eat and having a spring water, but flavorful, seasoning herbs as well, which Kikyo was very adept at using, much to his delight after his initial bite at their dinner. It was truly delicious. A very scrumptious meal.

Just the thought of being able to taste Kikyo's seemingly expert cooking once again, Tsuna's stomach growled loudly, wanting to be acknowledged. Noticing the older man glance at him not so subtly, he heard a soft chuckle in response to his stomach's grumbling, making him blush madly in mortification.

'_How shameless can you be?'_ Glaring at his tummy in admonition, as if doing so would quiet it down, his stomach decided to do just the opposite and went for a long, loud growling instead, thus earning him another round of chuckles, soon developing into a bout of soothing laughter from Kikyo for his efforts- of which the other had evidently witnessed, which he later joined, seemingly unable to resist the pull of the other's mirth. Shortly after, they began to feast peacefully and contentedly on Kikyo's masterpiece.

* * *

A few minutes after having just finished their lunch, Kikyo's phone rang once again, making the host sigh, excuse himself, and take off to a more private place, possibly to talk business. Tsuna didn't really mind, but he was certainly curious what job Kikyo really did. He was still holding on to the idea that Kikyo was indeed a cosplayer, but he knew that that alone, despite being a pro at it, would not be enough to enable him to afford his current attire. But if he was indeed a real host, and not just one by moniker- one which Tsuna gave him, then there is no more doubt that he could afford such pricey items. Yes, he checked the brand of the jacket when Kikyo used it to make it as a pillow, and the feel of the material was the same as the pants and shirt- don't ask him how he knew, he definitely, DEFINITELY won't tell. And he needn't go to explain the necktie's building blocks to know that it was likewise pricey, maybe even on par with the price range of each main clothing piece of Kikyo's.

Moments later, Kikyo comes back, and just from seeing his face, Tsuna knows it's time to part. Giving a somewhat sad smile at the impending loss of his companion, he went ahead to bid Kikyo his goodbyes and appreciation for all the help given, noting with much surprise and delight with the other's response.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye then… Thank you very much for everything, as well as for the help and care extended despite barely knowing me for a day. It has truly been fun to 'hang out' with you, and get to taste your delicious cooking." Giving a polite smile to the green-haired man, he was about to give the customary bow in appreciation for everything the other had done so far, when Kikyo spoke, and what the host did next surprised him to no end, and he couldn't help but be just a tad bit cautious despite not feeling any form of suspicion or threat from the man.

* * *

"Likewise, Tsunayoshi-kun (they had quickly bonded the night before, hence the change in terms of addressing). I am sorry, but I really need to go back and report to my boss. Should you ever need help, or if you would just want to spend time with me again, here's my number." Handing Tsuna a small piece of paper containing his contact details, Kikyo gave a grin before ruffling Tsuna's hair, messing it up for a bit, before fixing it back again- as orderly as it could go, considering Tsuna's hairstyle has always been in that messy spike. As an afterthought, he once more voiced out his inquiry the day before.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? Maybe we could go and search for your friends there… It would certainly be easier with more help around." Eyes giving off a strange glint, he gave his winning smile, but it seemed that would still be of no avail.

"I'm really sorry Kikyo-san, thank you very much for everything so far, and I promise I'll call you sometime if I can, but I think I would try to wait it out here for a bit longer, just in case…" Giving an apologetic smile, Tsuna just trailed off, they had come an understanding that Tsuna was uncomfortable in explaining the whole situation to him, and thankfully for the boy, he decided not to push further on the matter. It would have been too suspicious should he have shown more interest than a more-than-acquaintance would.

* * *

So, parting ways until the next time they could meet again- if ever they still would, both gave a lingering wave to each other as Kikyo walked away. Even a few minutes after Kikyo had gone, Tsuna found himself still waving slightly. Sighing to himself, confused as to why he was feeling more wistful than he should be feeling for someone he had just met, and barely known- despite the time shared together- he decided to ignore it, and proceeded to sit down beside the coffin once again.

'_No way am I going back in there…'_ He thought to himself, shuddering. Since the day before, it had been evident that he would be staying in the future far longer than he had initially thought he would. How he knew that, he was unsure.

And sat there and waited. And continued to sit and wait. And wait some more. And continued to wait. And wait. And wait.

Finally, when his butt was sore from sitting down, and he had fallen asleep more times than he could count out of boredom, and he was debating on whether he should call Kikyo and deciding to- until he realized he forgot his cellphone back in his school bag- he heard rustling in the leaves a few feet away from the coffin, the opposite side from where Kikyo emerged, followed by a string of curses.

Ears and attention perking at the foreign sound, he stared at the spot where the overgrown shrubs grew, when he saw- or thought he did- a glinting silver. Noting its familiarity, he focused intently at the spot of movement, waiting patiently for whoever it was cussing out the poor plants, until he heard an explosion not far off from where he sighted the silver.

Soil and wood splinters splattering everywhere, and smoke curtaining a person's silhouette, he began to slowly stand up, anticipating a clear sight of the person who created such a ruckus. A well-timed gust of wind dispersed the grey smoke, and from behind it emerged a tall, beautiful figure.

Hair a layer between shades of gray and white, appearing almost silver, fair blemish-free skin, eyebrows scrunched in irritation, mouth forming an almost ever-present scowl, light-blue eyes almost steel-grey in shade. He would have thought that another host had ended up lost in the forest if he didn't know the guy. Or think he did.

'_Guess I'll have to confirm… He's taller though... Well, I guess that's reasonable enough since almost 10 years HAVE already passed… But no mistake, that should be HIM…'_

Going for the kill, he slightly, only slightly, hesitated and called out, "Gokudera-kun?"

The taller male being addressed finally noticed his presence. Mouth gaping open, causing his cigarette to drop on the ground, "Gokudera-kun" rushed towards Tsuna, engulfing him in a tight, bone-breaking hug, and releasing him shortly afterwards, bending down slightly to his eye level, still holding his shoulders tight, as if afraid to let go.

"Ju-ju-ju-ju-juu-daime! Juu-daime! Is tha- is that really you? Juu-daime!"

Appearing to be overjoyed and once again engulfing Tsuna in his arms, the boy gave a slight whine of discomfort, and responded to the affectionate greeting by hugging the taller male back, not as tightly, but affection equaling nevertheless.

'_Really, some things never change. He's still as clingy and touchy as before…'_

Smiling brightly at a familiar face, he greeted back firmly, "It's really great to see you again, Gokudera-kun!"

* * *

*Zakuro is a red-head, and seeing as how there's caller I.D. and you can select a pic of them…

*Otomen is used to address guys who like stuff which were stereotyped to be girly (sweets, cute and fluffy stuff, etc…). They are not necessarily gays though.


End file.
